The People, Places & Ideas Inspiring The Bennington Agrihood Project

A lot goes into a development project like this. We’ve been lucky to gain inspiration from so many before us. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants in the form of people, organizations, concepts and places. We draw inspiration and guidance from these sources every day and we wanted to shout them out in listicle form on our blog!

People & Their Ideas

1. Wendell Berry (Agrarian Philosophy & Localism)

Berry’s writings emphasize the deep connection between people, land, and community, advocating for small-scale agriculture and local food systems. An agrihood rooted in his philosophy would prioritize food sovereignty, land stewardship, and a slower, more intentional way of living.

2. Aldo Leopold (Land Ethic & Ecological Stewardship)

Leopold’s Land Ethic proposes that humans are part of an interconnected ecological community, with a moral responsibility to care for the land. His vision aligns with an agrihood by promoting conservation-minded farming, native landscape restoration, and fostering a deep ecological awareness among residents.

3. Charles Marohn Jr. & The Strong Towns Team (Financially Resilient Communities)

Strong Towns advocates for development patterns that are financially sustainable, human-scaled, and adaptive over time. Their insights support an agrihood model that avoids sprawl, prioritizes walkability, and ensures that infrastructure investments create long-term community wealth.

4. Jane Jacobs (Urban Vitality & Community Design)

Jacobs argued that diverse, walkable neighborhoods with active public spaces foster strong, safe and resilient communities. An agrihood inspired by her ideas would emphasize social cohesion, street-level engagement, and a fine-grained mix of uses that keep the neighborhood dynamic and connected.

5. Donella Meadows (Systems Thinking & Sustainability)

Meadows highlighted how complex systems, from economies to ecosystems, function best when they account for feedback loops and long-term sustainability. An agrihood built with systems thinking would integrate food production, housing, and infrastructure in ways that reinforce ecological balance and social well-being.

6. Nassim Taleb (Antifragility & Decentralized Resilience)

Taleb’s concept of antifragility suggests that systems should be designed to benefit from stress and uncertainty rather than merely withstand it. In an agrihood, this means resilient food production, decentralized governance, and adaptable infrastructure that thrives under changing conditions.

7. Rachel Carson (Environmental Awareness & Chemical-Free Agriculture)

Carson’s Silent Spring exposed the dangers of industrial agriculture and the overuse of pesticides, sparking the modern environmental movement. An agrihood inspired by her work would commit to regenerative farming, biodiversity, and chemical-free food systems that protect human and environmental health.

8. Christopher Alexander (Pattern Language & Timeless Design)

Alexander’s A Pattern Language outlines principles for designing spaces that feel natural, livable, and community-oriented. Applying his insights to an agrihood would ensure that public spaces, pathways, and homes are arranged to encourage comfort, beauty, and spontaneous interaction.

9. Congress for the New Urbanism (Walkable, People-Centered Development)

CNU promotes compact, walkable communities that reduce car dependence and foster human interaction. Their principles align with an agrihood by emphasizing pedestrian-friendly streets, mixed-use design, and an intentional sense of place that connects people to both nature and each other.

10. The Schumacher Center for a New Economics (Local Economies & Land Trusts)

The Schumacher Center promotes community-based economic models, including land trusts, cooperative ownership, and local currencies. Their work is relevant to an agrihood by offering frameworks for keeping land affordable, fostering cooperative governance, and ensuring long-term community resilience.

Places

1. The Farm at Okefenoke (Cooperative Living & Sustainable Agriculture)

The Farm at Okefenoke is an intentional community in Georgia that integrates sustainable agriculture with cooperative living. I’ve been lucky enough to be in correspondence with its founder, conservation based developer, Doug Davis. Located in north Georgia, this agrihood is making a bid to be the healthiest place on earth. Not only is it on the bleeding edge of agrihood innovation, its model demonstrates how an to balance ecological stewardship, communal decision-making, and self-sufficient food production.

2. Serenbe Farms (Agrihood & Wellness-Oriented Design)

Serenbe, located near Atlanta, GA, is one of the most well-known agrihoods, combining organic farming with wellness-focused community design. It provides a working example of how integrating agriculture with housing can enhance quality of life, promote farm-to-table living, and create a vibrant, walkable neighborhood.

3. Growing Power (Urban Farming & Food Justice)

I was lucky enough to live at Growing Power Milwaukee during an internship during a gap year in college. Founded by Will Allen, Growing Power was a pioneering urban agriculture initiative that focused on food justice, education, and community farming. Its legacy highlights how an agrihood can support local food access, vertical agricultural, aquaponics, composting systems, and intensive urban farming techniques to feed and empower communities. During my time there I saw what an intentional residential community can look like in an agricultural setting.

4. WWOOF Farms (Global Network of Sustainable Farms & Education)

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) connects volunteers with organic farms around the world, fostering hands-on learning about sustainable agriculture. During a gap year in college, I was fortunate enough to volunteer and stay on farms in Texas and Puerto Rico. An agrihood inspired by this model could incorporate educational farm-stay programs, skill-sharing, and community involvement in food production.

5. Chautauqua (Cultural & Intellectual Community Living)

The Chautauqua movement originated as an educational and cultural retreat, blending lifelong learning with a strong sense of community. Applying this philosophy to an agrihood could create a place where farming, education, civcs and arts-based programming intersect to build an intellectually and socially enriching environment.

6. Ecovillage at Ithaca (Sustainable Living & Cooperative Development)

Ecovillage at Ithaca is a leading example of sustainable, community-driven development, incorporating cohousing, renewable energy, and local food production. It serves as a model for how an agrihood can integrate ecological design with cooperative governance to create a thriving, self-sustaining community.

7. Village Homes (Davis, CA) (Permaculture-Based Neighborhood Design)

I only know Village Homes through reading a fantastic book by its founders about its founding. Village Homes in Davis, California, is an early example of a community designed with permaculture principles, featuring edible landscapes, pedestrian pathways, and energy-efficient homes. This approach aligns with an agrihood’s goals by showing how neighborhood planning can prioritize food production, passive solar design, and a strong sense of place.

Again, this is not an exhaustive list but a good overview of the people, ideas and places which have acted as inspiration for the Bennington Agrihood!

Disclaimer: This article was drafted by Sabastian Hunt with AI-assisted enhancements for clarity and additional context